NEW DELHI: India is making a play for AI self-reliance. At pre-summit events for the India–AI Impact Summit 2026, held during the India Mobile Congress in New Delhi, the government announced plans to launch an Indian large language model by year-end, aiming to cut dependence on foreign systems.
The IndiaAI Mission, approved last year, is already delivering results: 38,000 graphics processing units are now available at Rs 65 per hour, whilst 12 companies are developing foundation models. “We envision to launch an Indian Large Language Model by year-end, reducing dependence on foreign systems,” says ministry of electronics and information technology additional secretary, chief executive of IndiaAI and director general of the National Informatics Centre Abhishek Singh.
The pre-summit events drew leaders from government, industry and academia to explore how AI can drive inclusive growth across telecom and digital infrastructure. Four panels tackled AI’s role in telecom impact, trustworthy deployment, workforce development and social empowerment. Representatives from Reliance Jio, Tata Consultancy Services, Google, Airtel, Amazon Web Services and Microsoft joined government officials for the discussions.
MeitY secretary S Krishnan framed India’s approach as both innovative and frugal. “We have adopted innovative means by learning from the experiences of others to build viable projects and products that will truly make a difference for us,” he says. “A number of international agencies have also found our approach very appealing, to build a model which can be used for the rest of the global South.”
IndiaAI Mission chief operating officer and scientist G at MeitY Kavita Bhatia highlighted AI’s potential in telecom—from spectrum management to fraud detection. “AI in telecom holds immense potential. It can ensure reliable connectivity in rural areas, enhance resilience against network disruptions, and power new services across various sectors.”
The main India–AI Impact Summit 2026 is scheduled for 19-20 February at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. Organised around three “sutras”—people, planet and progress—and seven thematic “chakras”, the summit will position India as a global convener on responsible AI deployment.
Whether India can deliver a competitive LLM by December—or merely another government deadline—will test its ambitions. For now, the rhetoric is running ahead of the code.